I Will Destroy You
by PrincessRonanduil
Summary: This story is suppose to be like an AU thing between me and Ronan the Accuser from "Guardians of the Galaxy". Rated T for sci-fi action/violence and some mild language. I apologize if there are any spelling or grammer mistakes.
1. Chapter 1

This story is about a girl. And how one man changed her life forever...And how she changed his.

I sat in my room reading a book, thinking about how great it must be to live in a fantasy world. I lived a lonely life. Most of the time, I kept to myself. I didn't really feel that close to my family and I didn't have that many friends. But I tried my best not to complain. Life was still good, but sometimes, I wished for a companion. Someone I could talk to. Someone who I could share my interests with. Someone who would do anything to protect me. Not that anything bad ever happened where I lived. Nothing _ever_ happened where I lived.

An hour later, I finally finished the book I was reading (_The Hobbit_ by J. R. R. Tolkien), got up from my chair, and put on my coat and shoes. I felt like going for a walk, just to get out the house for a minute. "I'll be right back", I said, but I don't know if anyone heard me. I didn't even bother to bring my house key or cell phone with me. Just the clothes on my back. Nothing more. I was already out the door and I could tell it was already getting dark, but I didn't care. I needed some fresh air.

I started walking down the street, my hands in my pockets and my head looking down. I was thinking about a new movie I just saw yesterday. It was a good one, too. It starred my favorite actor, Lee Pace. This made me smile a bit. He was pretty much the only thing I talked about anymore. When I was younger, I'd talk about princesses and magic, but I was no longer a little girl. I was now a young woman. And although I was happy with my life, I wondered if there was something else out there for me. My answer came from the sky. _Literally._

I had just turned the corner, when all of a sudden, this blinding light hovered over me. I covered my head with my arms and heard this loud noise coming from above me. I looked up and tried seeing what it was, which was probably a dumb thing to do. It looked like a scene from a sci-fi movie. There was this portal-like hole beaming down on me. I didn't know what was happening. I started to panic. I tried running away, but instead, I felt myself being lifted off the ground. "NO!" I screamed, fearful of what was to come next. "God, please! No!" As I was being pulled in, I could see a dark shadowy figure in the center of the portal. It looked like a man's silouette, but I was too afraid of who or what it might be, that I threw my arms over my eyes. And then, everything went dark.

When I finally came around, I found myself lying on the ground of some dark, cold place. There was a light shining down on me. Then I remembered. The blinding light! I sat up in a hurry and looked around. I was in a large room of some kind. There was nothing here and no one. Nothing but inky blackness all around me and the light that shone from the high ceiling. There was no sound either. Not even a gust of wind. "Oh, no", I said to myself. Did something bad happen to me? I didn't know if I wanted an answer. But I found myself asking, "Am I dead?" I started to get teary eyed, until a voice broke the silence.

"You are my prisoner."

I gasped and turned my head to see where the voice was coming from, but I didn't see anyone.

"Who are you?" I asked desperately. I grabbed my hair and hung it over my right shoulder. I ran my fingers threw it while I looked around the room, but there was no one there.

"Please, speak to me. I don't wanted to be alone."

"But you are alone."

I wasn't alone! There was somebody else here with me! I felt a little relieved. I stood up and asked, "Where am I? What am I doing here?"

"Did you not hear what I just said?" The voice belonged to that of a man. It sounded deep and menacing. But it didn't matter at the moment. "You are here as my prisoner", he said. "And now that I have you, I have no intentions on releasing you."

"But why did you bring me here?" I raised my voice at him. I was starting to get impatient.

"I intend to destory your world", said the man. He sounded very serious.

My eyed widen at what I had just heard. My mouth hung half way open in shock. Did he just say he intended to destroy the planet Earth? No. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it! He couldn't be serious. He _cannot _be serious!

"What?...Why? You can't kill an entire planet. That's genocide!"

"I have done it before!", he yelled at me. I took a step back in fright. "And I can do it again". He spoke more softly that time.

This was getting scary now. I had no clue who this man was or who he thought he was, but I didn't want to know this maniac anymore that I already did. I wanted to run out of there and find some help. But where would I go? I still had no idea where I was, but I knew I wasn't going to get any answers any time soon. Another thing that bothered me was that during this whole conversation, he kept to himself in the shadows. Why was he hiding? Was he deformed or something? I didn't have a problem with deformity.

"Look", I said, "all I want to know right know is who are you. I want to see your face."

He didn't respond.

"What are you afraid of?" I demanded.

"I am afraid of nothing. It is you who should be afraid of me."

"Step into the light", I said. Slowly, he walked towards me. But as he came into my vision, I could see he was covered in what looked like heavy, black leather armor. There was something red on his chest that looked suspiciously like blood. But what really surprised me was when I saw his hands. They were completely blue. And not just his hands, but his whole face! And as if that wasn't frightening enough, he had some kind of black stuff around his indigo colored eyes that ran all the way down to underneath his chin. On his head, he wore a dark leather headdress to match his full body armor. And in one hand, he held a giant warhammer.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked at him. I could feel my heart beat faster inside my chest. This was no man. This was a monster!

"Who are you?" he asked me. I blinked. I worked up enough courage to speak.

"Crystal...My name is Crystal." The man just stared down at me as if he didn't care. I started to tremble.

"Who...are you?" I asked him, as a single tear rolled down my face.

"I am Ronan the Accuser."


	2. Chapter 2

Ronan the Accuser?

I had heard that name before. I looked into his eyes for a minute, trying to detect if I could remember. Suddenly, as if a light went off inside my head, it all came back to me. I had just seen a movie called "Guardians of the Galaxy". And Ronan the Accuser was the villain in that movie! How could this be? Ronan the Accuser wasn't real. The Guardians weren't real. Were they? I thought they were just a bunch of characters thought up by an old comic book artist. _This is not real_, I told myself. _This is not happening_. _This cannot be happening!_

I put my head in my hands and turned away from him. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying not to panic. "This has to be a dream." I said.

"This is no dream", said Ronan. "You are wide awake. And soon, I will donimate what's left of your kind."

My hands fell to my sides and I tried to think of a way out of this. After all, if this was really happening, and Ronan was really as evil as I heard he was, then that meant I was the hero, right? After all, in most stories I've read, the hero always wins. _Most of the time_, I said to myself. I forced myself to look back at him.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

"You will learn soon enough."

"No. I want to know why you're doing this. What has Earth ever done to you?"

"Nothing. But I did not traveled half way across this universe to let some foolish human girl try and stop me. I intend to clenase the galaxy of all those who I deem useless. And I have chosen Earth as my next target."

"You can't destroy Earth!"

"I WILL DESTROY IT!" He roared.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" I yelled at him. Just at that moment, he grabbed my arm tightly, and I froze right on the spot. Was he going to kill me now? I'd really done it this time. But he just stared me down with those bright eyes of his. I could almost see my reflection in them. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Ronan made it very clear to me that he was in charge around here and that no one could tell him anything. "You will obey me," he said. "Or I shall kill you, too." By this point, I knew I had no other choice. I was now Ronan's slave.

Ronan lead me to some unknown place. His hand still gripping my arm. It was pretty obvious that this was his spaceship. _The Dark Aster_, they called it, as I later found out. Everything about this place all looked the same to me. It was dark and it reminded me of the inside of an ancient tomb. We were suddenly approached by two alien women. One of them was blue, the other one was red. Ronan threw me to them. They grabbed me by my arms and held me back. Then Ronan ordered, "Clean her and bring her to me."

Clean her?

I didn't like where this was going. But I didn't have time to protest, as I was dragged away and Ronan turned his back on me.

The next thing I knew, I was taken to another room, were there was another alien woman waiting for us. She stood up and approached me. Unlike they other two alien women, though, this one had hair. It was long and dark brown. She had green skin. Before I could say anything, I felt the two aliens taking off my coat. But it didn't stop there. They were grabbing other articles of my clothes, trying to tear them off of me. "Wha-What are you doing?" I protested. "Stop it!" But it was no use. They stripped me of my clothes and threw me against the wall. I suddenly felt a great force slam me against the wall. I screamed as I felt I was being sprayed with huge blasts of hot water. It didn't hurt much, but the pressure of the water felt too powerful. I tried blocking it with my hands, but it didn't help much, so I continued to yell as these two alien females mercilessly hit my skin with the burning water. Steam started to fill the room and it became a little hard for me to see anything, but I did manage to get a glimpse of the green-skinned woman. She was just standing there looking at me and doing nothing, but by the look on her face, I could tell she felt sorry for me. After about five minutes of being drenched from head to foot in the burning water, the two aliens grabbed one of my arms and legs and started scrubbing my body. I didn't feel comfortable with this at all. I closed my eyes and hoped it would be over soon.

After they had finished their job, they threw me on the hard ground and left. I tried standing up, using the wall to maintain my balance. I turned around and saw the green-skinned woman was still standing there. I tried covering myself, fearful what she might say or do. But instead, she held out some kind of fabric material in her hand and said, "Put this on." She spoke in a gentle voice. I looked at her and then back at the fabric. I took it with a shaking hand and saw what it was. It was a long, pale blue dress with thin strapes and no sleeves. I put it on, and to my surprise, it fit. The only problem was that it was transparent. I could almost see right through it. But who was I kidding? It didn't matter. It was better to wear this than nothing, I guess. "Follow me", said the green-skinned woman. I looked up at her. "Ronan is waiting."

I followed the woman to Ronan's chamber, where I saw him sitting on his throne, his warhammer clenched in his huge hands. I looked back at the woman, but then the doors closed behind me and I was left all alone again with this maniac. I looked back at him. I took a deep breath and sighed. I didn't want to be near him, but something told me I had to. I walked over to him. He set his warhammer down and stood up from his throne. He approached me and looked down at my body. _My eyes are up here, you prevert_, I felt like saying to him, but instead I found myself saying, "So now what? Is this some sort of prophecy conspiracy thing or what?"

"I have chosen you," said Ronan, as he held out his hand and touched my hair with a gentle stroke. I wasn't impressed. "Because I want you to look upon your planet when I take hold of it." As he spoke, he circled around me, lightly touching my shoulders. If he was trying to seduce me, it wouldn't work. "With your planet destoryed, I will have you to remember my victory." Now I was starting to get angry. Every word Ronan said filled me with rage. But I had to stand my ground. It wasn't easy. He stood behind me and I said nothing. He continued speaking.

"My father was a destroyer of worlds. As was his father before him. It is in my blood." I felt him put a hand in front of my neck. "But you, my dear", my blood started boiling now. "I am willing to let you live a life away from that miserable place which you hold close to you. Become my bride, and you and I will control the galaxy". He tucked my hair behind my ear. I felt his breath on my ear. And then he whispered to me, "Together".

That was it! I jabbed him in the side and broke from his grip. "I would rather die than be with a space gorilla like you!" I yelled at him. Ronan seemed surprised by this. "You think you're some kind of god or something? Well, you're not! I've heard a lot about people like you, but out of all of them, _you _are the absolute worst! You're a beast!"

I was breathing heavily. I didn't care what he thought or had to say. I was furious at him now. I mean, genocide? World domination? Something about becoming his _bride_? This was crazy talk!

"I will never be yours", I said through clenched teeth. There was a silence between us. The Accuser was the first to speak. "Then I have no use for you." With that said, he walked passed me and, once again, had his back turned on me. I wanted to kill him where he stood. And that's just what I was going to do. I yelled and sprinted towards him, but the one blue female alien from before appeared out of nowhere and held me back. Ronan turned around and looked back. I tried to brake loose, but this woman was strong then I thought.

"Take her away, Nebula", said Ronan.

"Yes, sir", she said.

"NO!" I protested. "You can't do this!"

"If I have to", said Ronan. "I will destroy you and your world."

"I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!" I spat. But then, I felt a hard slap across my face from this Nebula woman. And all faded to black.


	3. Chapter 3

When I finally came through, I felt myself lying on the ground again. There was a thin blanket over me. Where was I now? How long had I been out for? Did Ronan already- Ronan! I sat up. I had to stop him before it was too late. I stood up and tried to make it to the door, but something held me back. I felt something pull me back by my wrists. Oh no! I wasn't- I looked down at my hands. My wrists were in chains! I turned around and saw the chain was connected to the wall. I was trapped! I tried to yank myself free, even though I knew it was probably useless. But I couldn't let Ronan get away with this.

Just then, I heard the door being unlocked. It was afraid it was Ronan. But it wasn't. It was the green-skinned woman. "Where am I?" I asked her. "Please, tell me what's happening."

"Ronan ordered my sister to imprison you here until he decides what to do with you", she said.

"What about Earth?" I asked, nervously. "Has he-"

"He hasn't destroyed Earth."

I put my back to the wall and breathe a sigh of relief. Everything was okay, but not for long. I slunk down to the floor. I was trying to think about what to do next. Ronan said he was going to destroy my home planet. But why hadn't he done it already? I looked up at the woman.

"Why is he doing this?", I asked her.

She shook her head. "I don't know. Ronan's crazy."

"But what's he waiting for?" I got up and started pacing around the room. The chains rattled behind me as I moved back and forth.

"I can help you save your home", said the woman.

I stopped where I stood. Did she just say she could help me? I turned my head and looked at her. I hardly knew this lady, let alone her name. Was she lying? Or was she telling me the truth?

"What's you're name?" I finally asked her.

"Gamora."

My mouth dropped open. "Gamora?" Of course! The green skin? The long dark hair? How could I have been so blind? How could I not remember her! She wasn't a villain. She was a hero! One of the Guardians!

"Wait a minute. If you're real, then the other Guardians are real, too, aren't they?" I asked her.

"They are", she said.

"Gamora, please. I have to stop Ronan. You have to help me!"

Gamora took hold of my hands and said, "I will help you. Just give me some time."

"Alright, but please hurry."

Gamora was about to leave me, but then I remembered something.

"Gamora, wait!"

Gamora turned and looked at me. "There's something you should know. My name is Crystal." Gamora gave me a single nod of her head and left without saying a word. So, I sat there in my prison. Waiting, hoping, praying to God that all would not be lost. Gamora would be back with the Guardians to help save Earth. I knew it.

A few hours later, I heard the door unlock and thought for sure Gamora had returned. I stood up and to my surprise I saw that it wasn't Gamora. It was Ronan! I became terrified at once. He walked towards me, while I backed up against the wall. He gave me his ever menacing stare that made my blood turn cold. He had me cornered. And with these chains, I had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. I was trapped.

"I've been told you've come to your senses", said Ronan. I didn't understand what he meant. "Already, I have assembled an army of Kree warriors ready to dominate your planet. They wait for my command. You will stand by my side or I will kill you now." I felt my eyes start to fill up with tears. Gamora said she would help me, but I now I felt all hope was lost. Where was she? Why hadn't she returned yet? I was afraid of what was to come. Afraid of an uncertain future. "I am giving you one last chance." Will you stand by me?"

As the tears rolled down my face, I managed to say one word to him.

"Yes."


	4. Chapter 4

I walked beside Ronan, but I dared not look at him. I was too scared to even speak. We entered into the control chamber, where there was a giant window right in the front. I ran over to it and I did not like the looks of what I saw outside of it. I was looking down on Earth, my home, but that's not the only thing. There were at least a hundread spacecrafts hovering over every single continent on the planet! This was very bad. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. This was worse than I could ever imagine. I put one hand on the glass and the other hand over my mouth as I looked at the horror that awaited for the billlions of innocent lives. _God have mercy on these people_, I said in my head.

I heard Ronan walk to another end of the room and heard him say, "Nebula, what is our position?"

I turned my head and saw he was standing in front of a holographic screen, where I saw an image of Nebula.

"We have ships stationed everywhere awaiting your command. We are ready when you are", she said. She then turned her head to me. She gave me a sinister smile and her image vanished.

I gasped and ran over to the Accuser. "Ronan, you've got to call this off!" I sounded desperate.

Ronan looked down at me and said, "You've made your choice."

Before I could protest, Nebula appeared on the holographic screen again. "Sir, we have a problem!"

Ronan and I both looked at her. "What is it?" said Ronan.

Just then, we heard an explosion coming from outside. My eyes became wide. I ran over to the window to see what had happened. Ronan followed behide me. At first, I was afraid the damage had already been done, but instead, I saw that one of the spacecrafts had been blown up. From my distance, all I could see was a ball of smoke and fire. I looked up and saw there was a fleet of white spaceships heading towards Ronan's army. Then, I heard Nebula speak, "Gamora's betrayed us. She's with the Nora Crops. And she's brought the Guardians."

I gasped in amazement and gave a small smile. Gamora had returned with an army of people to defeat Ronan. There was still a chance! Ronan, however, was not amused.

"Your people shall pay for this interference", he said to me in a low, intimidating voice. My happiness faded quickly. I looked up at him. "What?"

He turned away and yelled, "Nebula, prepare to fire!"

"NO!" I screamed.

In a last minute attempt to stop him, I took hold of his hammer and yanked it free from his hands. I tossed it aside, put my hands on both sides of his face, and shoved my mouth against his. I didn't know what else to do, but I had to distract him from destroying my home. His lips tasted bitter and felt cold, but I didn't care. As long as it kept him busy, it wouldn't be a problem. It must have been over a minute before I finally realized what I had done. I broke from the kiss and looked him in the eyes, while he looked directly into mine. I had just kissed the one person who I loathed above all else right now. He looked at me as if he didn't know what had happened either. I felt myself starting to shake and my eyes filled with tears. I couldn't take it. I wanted to run away from all of this. I pushed him aside and ran out of the chamber. And that was it. I never wanted to see him again.

"Ronan?", said Nebula, seeking an answer from the Accuser. But Ronan stayed silent.

I ran until I finally came to a dark room. Once again, I didn't know where or what part of the ship I was in, but I didn't care. I just sat there, put my head to my knees, and started crying. I didn't care if anyone heard me. I felt so lost. I didn't know what to do anymore. No sound was heard. I felt dead on the inside. It wasn't until I looked up that I finally knew where I was. I found myself in a room filled with all sorts of blades on one wall. I stood up from the ground and slowly walked over to it. My eyes fell on a small dagger. I took hold of it in my hands and looked at the blade. I could see half of my face in the reflection. Then a thought hit me. I didn't want to do this, but what else was there for me to do? Ronan had won. I had failed. I accepted my fate. I closed my eyes and raised the dagger above my head. "God forgive me", I whispered.

But before I could snuff it, I felt someone hit me in the arm. I screamed and felt myself hit the cold hard floor. I held my arm, which began to bruise. I looked up quickly and saw Nebula. I had no idea how she got here or how I didn't hear her come in, but now a new thought came to my mind. I wouldn't give up just yet. Here, I felt there was an oppertunity for me to strike back at this bitch. I must. I will. And I did.

I got up and tried hitting Nebula, but she was too quick. As I threw my right fist to her face, she blocked me with her left hand. I tried hitting her with my left, but her right arm blocked me there, too. She jumped at me and we both wrestled on the ground. I managed to get on top of her, but her hands were around my neck, trying to choke me. I finally made a blow, which made a dent to the left side of her half-robotic face. I could see her black eyes look directly into my brown ones.

"Payback's a bitch, ain't it!?" I spat at her, but then she used her foot to kick me off of her. I fell flat on my back, but I wasn't hurt much. I looked up at the wall and grabbed a long silver sword to defend myself. And just in time, too. For at that moment, Nebula pulled out two knifes and tried to attack me, but I manage to block her with my new-found weapon. I had to act swift and be quick on my feet, which was hard, since this woman was obviously more highly skilled in combat fighting than I was. I didn't even like fighting or knew how to, but I was amazed to see how well I was doing. Maybe there was some new strength in me that I wasn't aware about or maybe it was because I was filled with rage over the loss of everything that I had once known was now gone forever. Or so I thought.

Suddenly, without thinking, I gave a yell and swung my sword at Nebula. I gasped at what I had just done. I had chopped off her entire left arm! It's grip loosened around the one knife it once held. Nebula didn't react to her dismemberment, but she did gave me a hateful look with those souless eyes of hers. I could see sparks and wires sticking out of her arm socket. My mouth hung open in shock and I dropped my sword, which was a stupid thing to do. I was about to run out of there, when Nebula threw her other knife at me, and I felt it stab me in my abdoman. I screamed in pain and fell to the floor. I pulled the knife from my right side and placed my hand on my wound. I could feel the warm blood spill from my injury. I closed my eyes and started crying. This was the end of the line for me. I knew it was. The pain was agonizing and unbearable. I heard Nebula laugh as she walked over to me. I forced myself to look upon the face of my enemy, tears falling from my eyes. She looked down at me with an evil smile.

"Prepare to die", she said. She raised a knife over me and I closed my eyes, not wanting to see. I passed out at the moment and knew nothing else after that. But little did I know was at that moment, someone had knocked Nebula down.

"Get away from her", said a familiar female's voice. It was Gamora!

She stood between me and Nebula and was ready to fight her on. What happened then, I cannot say, for I was not awake to witness this mortal combat in action. But I did find out later on that Gamora had defeated the wretched cyborg creature known as Nebula. After that, Gamora came back and found my seemingly lifeless body. She carefully held me in her arms and brush the hair from my face. I moaned, my hand still on the bloodied wound on my right side. I tried opening my eyes and focusing on Gamora, but my vision was blurred. I couldn't really see anything. I wanted to warn her of a black shadow that stood behind her. I knew who it was...But then...I felt my strength leaving me...I fell into darkness...I knew nothing...Nothing but the sound of silence.


	5. Chapter 5

Slowly, I began to wake up. _What a hellish nightmare that was_, I thought to myself. I kept my eyes closed and tried to relax. And yet, I felt a little strange. I felt more comfortable than I had been the last few days. I opened my eyes and realized I was lying down on a soft bed. I sat up and the blankets fell off of me. I found I was still wearing the pale blue, transparent dress with thin strapes. I didn't understand. I looked around the room thinking I was back in my prison cell. Only I wasn't. From the looks of it, I found myself in a bed chamber of sorts. I looked down at my wrists to see if they were in chains again. They weren't. I was free to move about, but I had no idea where I was now. I threw the blankets off of me and put my legs over to the side. My bare feet touched the cold ground. I stood up and walked around a bit. I felt alright, but I still felt something was wrong. I looked over and saw there was a balcony. Was I still on _The Dark Aster_?

I walked over to the balcony and realized I was no longer on _The Dark Aster _spaceship, because I wasn't moving through space. It seemed to me that I was now staring up at a magnificent, futuristic-looking city with tall, grey buildings.

"What is this place?" I said.

"It is Hala", said a deep voice. I gasped. I knew who's voice it belong to. I turned around and saw him standing there. There was no mistaking that blue skin and those dark markings on his face and that black leather armor. I backed away from him and held my arms together.

"Don't!"

"I will not touch you", said Ronan, calmly. "But I ask that you hear me out."

My fear quickly turned to anger. "Why should I?"

"I saved your life, didn't I?"

I paused. _He _saved _my_ life? What exactly had he done to save my life? I breathed deep through my nose and shook my head in disbelief. I looked up at him and said, "Yes...Yes, you did...And for that I am grateful. But don't give yourself hope. I don't love you. I never did...And I never will."

With that said, I started to walk away from him.

"Crystal-"

"Leave me alone!" I yelled over my shoulder. I didn't want to see or hear him. But just at that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my side. I gasped and fell to the floor. I put my hand on where the pain was and looked down. I saw there were blood-stained bandages around my waist. My memory came back flooding back to me. I had nearly died trying to fight off Nebula. I remembered Gamora. And the last thing I remembered was a shadow in the background. I knew it was Ronan. It had to be. What happened now? Where was Gamora? Had Ronan finally satisfied his bloodlust?

I snapped out of it when I heard Ronan approach me. I didn't look up at him, but I could feel his shadow over me as he kneeled down. I tensed up and closed my eyes as I felt him gently touch my hair. Then, the most unsual thing happened. Ronan picked me up and took me into his arms, holding me bridal style. I was being held in the arms of my enemy! I felt so small and fragile being held in his muscular arms like that. I forced myself to look at him and stared into those beautiful purple eyes of his. For some strange reason, I started to feel different. What was happeing to me? I had so much I wanted to say to him, but instead I found myself asking, "What have you done with Gamora?"

"Gamora is no longer in my service", said Ronan.

"You killed her-"

"I released her", said Ronan, softly. "I assure you, I meant her no harm."

A tear rolled down my face. "I don't believe you." My voice sounded like it was breaking. I couldn't tell if it was from the pain of my injury or from my fear of the Accuser.

Ronan walked me over to my bed and layed me down gently.

"You must try and rest", Ronan whispered. "You have been very badly hurt."

"Ah, to hell with you", I said to him. Besides, what did he care if I lived or died? I should have died in that attack. I put my left arm over my stomach as the pain intensified. Ronan took hold of my wrist, gently, and I looked up at him. What was he up to know?

"I know it hurts, but you have to trust me."

Trust you?

I thought to myself. _After what you tired to do!?_ That was when I reached my breaking point. I reached up one of my hands and tried putting it around his neck. I wanted to strangle him. I started to breathe heavily. Was it from the pain or my new found rage? I couldn't tell what was happening to me. My vision started to turned dark. I loosened my grip and my hand fell from his neck. I felt so weak. I closed my eyes and I fell asleep. I didn't know it, but after I had passed out, Ronan had stayed beside me for quite some time. I didn't even notice the touch of his fingers caress the side of my face. I had entered into a dream, far away from all of this. Away from him.


	6. Chapter 6

During my recovery, I was cared for by a Kree healer, though I do not remember his name. I never saw the Accuser during that time. _Probably off destroying other planets and causing mass genocide_, I thought to myself. But he wasn't. He kept his distance, only checking on me while I slept. I still didn't know if Earth had been saved or not. I felt so useless lying there and doing nothing. I wanted an answer. I wanted to get up and see what this place was like, but the healer forbit me.

"The sooner you rest, the sooner you'll get better", he said.

I knew he was right, but I didn't know. There was something about this place that seemed to cast a spell of wonder and mystery upon me. Still, I thought it best not to argue and slept on.

A week later, my wound had almost healed. One day, I woke up and decided to walk around the place and see what it looked like. My wound didn't hurt as much anymore. And since there was nobody around, I thought a quick look would be alright. I got out of bed and slowly walked to the door. My hand reached for the doorknob, but then I stopped myself. What if I was trapped and locked in my room? But I put my hand on the knob, turned it, and found I was not locked in.

I opened the door and looked around outside. The place looked deserted, for I saw there was nobody in sight. I closed the door behind me and slowly made my way down the long hallway. Unlike that mausoleum of a warship, _The Dark Aster_, this place wasn't so dark and things seemed to be a little bit nicer here. At least the architecture looked better. Well, _almost_.

As I was walking, I looked over to one side and saw there were tall statues of proud Kree soldiers. Each one representing one generation to another. I didn't pay too much attention to them though. I had seen better faces on gargoyles.

I turned and walked into a large chamber filled with columns. It looked to me like a ballroom, but I shook my head and thought that was ridiculous. I passed the room and walked out into what was, I guess, a garden. There were all these strange and exotic like plants. Each one was brightly colored and bizarre looking, though I was careful not to get to close to them. I didn't know if these plants were toxic or what. I was about to leave, when my eyes fell upon a beautiful flower that looked almost like a rose. I walked over to get a better look. I touched the soft red petals and breathed in the sweet fragrance.

Suddenly, I felt somebody watching me. I looked over and saw there was a Kree man looking at me. I gasped and jumped back a bit when I saw his face. It was Ronan the Accuser. Only this time, but he wasn't wearing his headdress. He was completely bald, for I saw there was no hair on his head. The black stuff that used to be on his face had been washed off. I had to admit, he looked kind of ugly without the headdress and black make-up on. My breath caught in my throat as I stared into his eyes. For a sceond, I thought I saw them almost light up when he looked at me.

I held my arms together and turned away from him, not wanting to see him.

"Do not be afraid", he said.

I didn't know how to respond. "...I...I hardly recognized you...", I said to him, but in my mind I was saying, _What am I doing?_

"I never told you, but what you did for your planet was very brave", said Ronan.

"Oh, and I suppose you had other good intentions?" I said, sarcasticlly, over my shoulder.

"I have spared the lives of our kind", said Ronan.

Yeah, right

, I said to myself. I wanted to believe him, but I was still having a hard time trying to debate. I sighed and forced myself to turn around and looked at him.

"You swear what you say is true?" I asked him.

"I do", said Ronan.

"Why? What caused you to change your mind at the last minute?"

Ronan held out his hand and said, "Come with me."

I wasn't sure if I should or not. I held my breath as I slowly reached out a trembling hand and Ronan took hold of it with a firm, but gentle grip. He walked me out of the garden, over to a balcony where we could see the city.

"How much do you value your home planet?" Ronan asked me.

"Well", I said, not sure where he was going with this. "I was born there, for one thing. I lived there all my life. I pretty much love everything it has to offer. But more importantly, I have a family and friends that live there, and I didn't want you to...You know."

"You value your home planet, because you care for the safety of your people. Is that correct?"

"Yes", I said.

"That is how much I care about Hala."

I turned my head and looked up at him. Then a thought hit me.

"So, what is Hala?" I asked him.

"It is the home planet of the Kree." Ronan turned his head and looked at me. "My people."

I raised an eyebrow."So...you're like the ruler of these people?"

"You might say that", he whispered to me.

Interesting, but okay

, I said to myself as I looked away from him. I felt kind of amazed. He really was in charge. In charge of protecting an entire race of his people. But that didn't stop from reminding me of his actions. I still believed he was a terrorist and a monster, but I don't know. Maybe there was something missing in his life.

"Do you have a family?" I asked him, trying to keep things friendly.

Ronan stayed silent for a minute. "I lost my father and grandfather during the Kree/Xandarian war years ago", said Ronan.

"I'm sorry", I said, softly.

"For thousands of years, my people have fought and died in many battles throughout the galaxy. When the Kree and the Nova Corps decided to form a peace treaty, I was strongly against it."

"Why?", I asked. "I mean, after years of bloodshed, why wouldn't you want to make peace with your enemies?"

"DO YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WAR!?", Ronan yelled at me. I jumped back. That was probably the wrong thing to say to him.

"...No...No, I don't know. But I think it's stupid", I said, trying to hold back tears.

Ronan tried walking towards me, but I backed away from him. I started to tremble and turned away from him. I didn't want him to see me cry. It seemed like my weakness was a sin to him. I tensed up as I felt a hand on my right shoulder.

"I'm sorry", said the Accuser. His voice sounded soft. I relaxed a bit and put my hand over his. "I don't react well to loss and grief. But I do not forgive so easily either."

I sniffled and took a shaky deep breath.

"I'm sorry you feel that way", I said.

There was a silence between us. Then he released his hand from my shoulder and said to me, "My home is opened to you, but don't ever leave it. That is an order."

I waited a minute before I finally had the courage to speak to him again.

"Ronan, can I ask you-"

I turned to him, but he wasn't there. I never even heard him leave. I didn't see him again until the next day.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, I tried to avoid the Accuser as much as I could. After his outburst yesterday, I was still a little frightened.

Do you know nothing of war?

Those were the words that still haunted my mind. It was true. I didn't know anything about war. But I hated it. I hated everything it had to do with it. It did matter if it was a war in some country or even an arguement with my family back on Earth. War was a stupid and terrible thing. But no matter what, there was always someone looking for a fight.

I walked around a bit until I found a small room filled with books. They were all about the Kree. I read a few of them to help me learn more about their history and culture. Most of them were very confusing to me and hard to follow, but they kept me interested and entertained.

I was already on my sixth book, when I heard a voice say, "My lady."

I looked up and saw there was a Kree man standing in the doorway. I put the book down and stood up.

"Can I help you?" I asked him.

"The Accuser has sent for you", he said.

I didn't know what to expect from Ronan this time. After the way he acted yesterday, I wasn't sure if I could handle him. But I followed the man to wherever he was taking me.

"Wait here", said the Kree man. It wasn't until he left that I saw where I was. It was the room I passed by yesterday that looked like like a ballroom. I looked around and saw there was no one about. I did, however, see that there was a throne on one side of the room. I was wrong. This was a throne chamber. Not a ballroom. _Or was it?_

I decided since there was no one around, I would do a little dance to keep myself busy. Normally, I never liked dancing, let alone singing, but for some reason, something inside me made me feel like doing it. All I did was held my hands above my head and did a few graceful twirls and nothing more. I didn't know any dance moves, so I just spun around, probably looking like an idiot. But then again, dancing had many different meanings to it. While I danced, I imagined the _Clair De Lune_ by Claude Debussy was playing in the background.

I snapped out of my dream-like state, when I heard a deep voice say, "What are you doing?"

I stopped dancing immediately, my arms still above me head. How long had the Accuser been standing there? How long had he seen me doing this? I put my arms down and slowly turned to face him. He was wearing the headdress and the black make-up again. He had a rather puzzled look on his face.

"What?" I asked him, reffering to his question.

I held the sides of my dress and said, "You mean this?" I did a little twirl as a demonstration.

"Yes, that", he said, rather impatitently, or so it sounded to me.

I put my hands on my hips and said, "It's called 'dancing'."

Ronan still looked like he didn't know what I was talking about.

My hands fell to the sides. "You never danced before?" I asked him.

"No", said Ronan.

"Well, dancing is a series of movements you make when you listen to music. " I walked over to him as I talked. "You see, back where I come from, there are all kinds of dances. There's ballet, breakdancing, disco, and so on and so forth."

"Does it normally involve one person?" Ronan ask me.

"No" I said. "There's usually one or more involved."

"Is there a dance for two people?"

I looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"I said-"

"I heard what you said, but...Are you?...asking me to?..."

I knew what he was asking of me, but I couldn't do it. I never danced with anyone before. No one had ever asked me to dance. I took a step back.

"I...I can't." I turned my head away from him.

Ronan took a step towards me, placed his hand on the side of my face and turned my head back to him. I saw him leaning towards me. It was pretty obvious what he was trying to do. But I was too quick for him. Before he could plant a kiss on my lips, I turned my head to the left and he kissed my face instead. He didn't react or say anything, but I take it he got the picture. I looked up at him and stared into his eyes, seeing if he really meant it.

And then, for some reason, I actually smiled and laughed for the first time since I'd been with him. I knew this had to be a joke.

"You can't be serious", I told him.

Ronan kept a straight face. "I am", he said.

My smile faded. _He did mean it? _"But-" My words were cut off by the touch of his fingertips. He stared into my brown eyes as I stared back into his purple eyes. They shined like gemstones. His removed his fingers from my lips and moved his hand to my shoulder.

"Well", I said, licking my dry lips. "I guess I could teach you how to slow dance."

"Show me", Ronan whispered.

"First of all, the dance involves a man and woman. We've already got that figured out. Then, the male partner puts his hand on the female partner's waist or hip..."

I felt Ronan's right hand slide down the side of my arm and placed it on my left waist. Then I put my left hand on his right arm.

"Like this?" Said Ronan, still keeping his eyes on me, while I kept mine on his.

"Yes", I said, breathlessly. "Then, the male puts his shoulder on the female's hand." I blinked and quickly realized my mistake. "I mean, the-" At that moment, Ronan placed his left hand on my right shoulder.

"I understand", said Ronan, softly. "Now what?"

I kept my eyes fixed on him as I placed my right hand on the back of his head.

"And then I do this", I finally said. There was a slience between us.

"And then what?" Ronan asked me.

I looked down at our feet and then back up at him. "Well, then we just start moving our bodies. For example, if I take a step forward, you take a step back. Try it."

Ronan did as I told him. "Alright", I said. "That was good. Now, it's okay if we don't get it right. These things take time. Now this time, you take a step forward and I'll take a step back."

Ronan did as he was told, thought he almost stepped on my foot.

"It usually helps if you look down at your feet once in a while, but the most important thing is to look at your partner's eyes."

Ronan smiled at me and said, "I am looking at your eyes." I'm not kidding. Ronan actually smiled at me. It wasn't an evil smile, it wasn't even a smirk. It was a warm, soft, and gentle smile. I smiled back at him and laughed a bit.

"Okay", I said. I took a deep breath and licked my lips, trying to stay focused. "Let's try this a few times and we'll...make it up as we go."

I lead Ronan for a bit, but eventually, he took the lead. I looked at him most of the time, but every minute or so, I kept looking down so he wouldn't step on my feet. I was surprised to see how well he was doing. He was no professional, but he was slow and steady with me the whole time. After about ten minutes, we stopped. I took my right hand off the back of his head and took hold of his left hand. Then he took hold of my left hand and held it in his right hand. We stared at each other in silence for a good minute. Ronan tucked a strand of hair behind my right ear and leaned towards me. Slowly, I stood on my toes and tried leaning towards him. I knew what was about it happen. And I didn't want it to stop.

Sadly, it didn't happened. Because just at that moment, an alarm went off. I screamed as reality settled back in. Ronan held me in his arms as if he was trying to protect me. I looked up at him.

"What's happening?" I asked him.

"Something's wrong."


	8. Chapter 8

The Accuser and I ran out of the room, down the hall. We were suddenly approached by one of his men.

"You there", Ronan said to him. "What is happening?"

"We're under attack", he said.

All of a sudden, we heard screaming coming from outside. I looked over and ran to a nearby balcony. Ronan followed behind me. Sure enough, there was an army of grey-colored aliens running out of a giant, metallic spaceship. They flooded the city, wrecking havoc, and destroying everything in their path. My mouth hung open in horror.

"The Chitauri", I heard Ronan say. He turned and starting walking away from me. I heard him call out loud, "Soldiers, prepare for battle! Everyone to the armory!"

My eyes became wide when I heard him say that. "What?" I turned my head. "Ronan, wait!"

I tried running to keep up with him, but I got lost in a sea of Kree soldiers as they were heading for the armory. Ronan was already far ahead of me, but I had to get to him.

"Ronan...Ronan!..." I tried calling out to him, but it was useless. So, I followed them to the armory. Already, there were hundreds of Kree soldiers preparring for war, putting on gear and armor. I finally managed to get to Ronan.

"Ronan", I called out to him. He turned around and saw me. I ran up to him and said, "You're not seriously thinking about joining them, are you?"

"These are my people. It is my duty to protect them", he said and starting walking away again.

I ran up next to him and said, "Then I'm coming with you."

"No, Crystal! I mean it. Stay hidden."

"But who's going to protect you?!"

Just at that moment, Ronan grabbed me by my arms, and pinned me against the wall. I was afraid he was going to start all over again.

"If you follow me onto the battlefield, it will be your death!...And you will be the death of me."

I couldn't believe what I just heard. Did he just say I would be the death of him if I followed him into battle? Ronan released me and walked away. I saw a Kree soldier approach him and hand him his warhammer.

"My soldiers", Ronan called out to his men. They all turned and faced him. "The time has come to protect our people from these intruders. Wipe out our enemies! Show them no mercy! TO BATTLE AND DEATH!"

The soldiers all cheered, while I stood in the background, tears threatening to escape my eyes. I was afraid of what was to come for them, especially to the Accuser. I knew Ronan and his men were strong and powerful, but I had a bad feeling something terrible was going to happen...I hated to think about it.

The Kree soldiers headed out, but Ronan stayed behind for a minute. All he did was stare at me, probably for one last time. In my mind I was saying, _Please don't go_, but I knew he wouldn't listen to me, even if I told him. He turned away and headed out, leaving me standing all alone again.

Everything was quite now. I looked around the room and then down at the floor. There was a helmet just a few inches from my foot. I picked it up and looked at it. Then I felt sadness and anger boiling up inside of me. I yelled out loud and threw the helmet across the room. I stood there, breathing heavily. Then, I turned around slowly, and my eyes caught on something lying in one corner of the room that stood out. There was some kind of yellow fabric lying there.

I walked over to it and kneeled down to see what it was. I picked it up and looked at it. It was a yellow full body suit. I could have sworn it hadn't been there before. I stood and held the suit up more closely to get a good look. It looked just about my size. Then a thought hit me. Right away, I started undressing myself, not caring if anyone was around. I put on the suit and it fit me like a glove. Speaking of which, I looked around the armory to see what else I could find to help me, but half the stuff in here looked either too complex or too heavy for me to manage. Luckily, I found a pair of black leather boots and slipped them on. They fit perfectly. I covered my hands in a pair of black leather gloves. To complete the outfit, I found a slender black belt and fashioned it around my waist. My weapon of choice was two long swords with silver blades. I felt like a warrior princess, ready for whatever was to come. I looked at my reflection in one of the swords and thought about this for a mintue. I didn't know what I was doing. I knew if I went out there I might die, but I wanted to fight. I wanted to be with Ronan the Accuser. I took a deep breath and started heading out. This was it. There was no turning back now.

The Kree were strong, but the Chitauri were stronger. As I stood in the doorway, looking upon the battlefield, I saw that both armies were equally matched. Unfortunately, the Chitauri looked like they had the upper strength. The Kree, however, were not known to give up without a fight. From a distance, I could see dozens of Kree soldiers slaying their foes as Chitauri blood spilled on the ground. I cringed just a bit. They fought hard and showed no mercy to their enemies, just as Ronan said. _Ronan_. My eyes started searching for him. I was about to run out there, until I looked up and saw there was another spaceship landing. A blue and orange one with the the words,_ The Milano_, written in white on one side. _Another army?_ I thought to myself.

I looked back to the battle and caught sight of Ronan. He was tougher than I thought he was. He used his warhammer, shooting powerful energy blasters to knock down his enemies. I heard him yelling as he slaughtered the Chitauri. I held up my weapons and ran out there.

I tried swinging my swords at the Chitauri warriors, but trying to kill a Chitauri was harder than trying to swat flies. Each time I tried to strike, they were always too quick. I barely gave any of them a scratch. I was just a few feet away from Ronan, but I was blocked by one of the Chitauri. He was about to hit me, but I blocked him with one of my swords. I tried swinging at him, but he knocked me to the ground. My swords landed a few inches from me. I could have picked them up, but instead, I held an arm across my face as he closed in on me. He raised his weapon and was about to strike, but then I heard gunshots. I saw the Chitauri warrior was about to fall on me, but I rolled out of the way before I was crushed. I looked at the dead Chitauri and saw there were bullet holes in his back. He must have been shot from behind. I looked in front of me to see who had done that, and to my surprise, there was a raccoon in an orange suit holding a machine gun.

"What the hell are you looking at?" He spoke in a sarcastic voice.

I screamed. I got up and picked up my weapons. Then I blinked. _Wait a minute! A talking raccoon?_ I heard yelling behind me and turned around. There was a big muscular man at least twice as strong as Ronan fighting off the Chitauri. He had dark skin and had red tattoo-like patterns all over his body. I looked the other way and saw the raccoon had now taken sides with a very tall tree-like creature. They were fighting their own battle with the Chitauri. Then I heard a woman yelling and turned around again. It looked like there was a man, an Earth man, fighting side by side with a dark-haired woman with green skin.

"The Guardians", I whispered to myself. I felt someone back up behind me. I turned around and felt a tight grip on my neck. I dropped one of my swords and tried to get myself free. I was staring into menacing purple eyes. The Accuser's expression quickly went from rage to shock. He released me and said, "What are you doing here?!"

"Saving your skin", I said to him, as I reached down and picked up my fallen sword.

"This is no place for a woman!" Ronan yelled at me.

"Trying telling that to her", I said, pointing my head in Gamora's direction. Ronan looked over to her. I saw one of the Chitauri warriors about to attack Ronan from behind.

"Look out!" I yelled, as stabbed the Chitauri warrior in the face. The blade was inches from Ronan's face, but I finally managed my first kill. I pulled my sword out and the warrior fell back. His eyeball was stuck on my sword. I looked up at Ronan. He pushed me out of the way and blasted his warhammer at a couple of Chitauri that were about to attack me from behind.

"Be careful!", Ronan said to me.

"Same to you", I said, striking another Chitauri in the gut.

Ronan and I stood back to back, fighting off any Chitauri that dared to attack either one of us. I found I was doing pretty good now that I was with him. I must have slayed about a dozen Chitauri warriors by now. Ronan had already killed hundreds. Once in awhile, I looked over at the Guardians, who were doing pretty well on their own. But when I looked back at Gamora, the Earth man was on longer by her side. He was having a hard time fighting off the Chitauri on his own.

I saw a Chitauri hit her hard in the face and she fell to the ground, unconscious. I became concerned for her. Then a thought hit me. Gamora saved my life before, now it was my turn to return the favor. I left Ronan's side, though I don't think he noticed, and ran to help her. As I ran to her, I managed to slice off an arm from a Chitauri warrior, and stab another in the gut. Before anyone could try and hurt Gamora again, I stood in front of her, and slayed about a dozen more, maybe about 50 Chitauri. I yelled as I fought them off.

I didn't realized it yet, because I was still busy battling the Chitauri, but the Kree were almost at victory. It wasn't until I killed my last two Chitauri, that I looked over at Ronan. He was still wielding his warhammer, knocking down more Chitauri warriors. It looked like the battle was almost over, but all of a sudden, I saw the leader of the Chitauri approaching the Accuser from behind. How did I know he was the leader? Because this one looked much taller than the other Chitauri warriors. His armor was different, as well. He held a large sword, much bigger than the ones I had, but more deadly. He was about to strike the Accuser!

"Ronan, look out!" I called out to him. Ronan turned around, but the Chitauri Leader stabbed him! I became horrified when I saw the Accuser drop his warhammer.

"NOOO!" I yelled out loud, but I couldn't hear myself. All sound was muted and everything around me seemed to slow down. I saw Ronan looked up at his attacker and the Chitauri Leader pulled his sword out of him. I heard Ronan gasp and my eyes became even wider. I saw him slowly drop to his knees. My breath caught in my throat. I saw him slowly turn his head to me. He looked liked he was dying. I looked up from Ronan and back to the Chitauri Leader. He was about to strike the Accuser again. And I was now filled with a new motivation: revenge.

Before the blow was struck, I ran to the Chitauri Leader, and blocked him with my swords. I pushed him back with my weapons, and he fell to the ground. His helmet flew off and I could see his colorless, ugly face.

"Don't you DARE touch him!" I yelled, gripping my swords, tightly. I was filled with a new-found rage. The Chitauri Leader grinned. He got up, but didn't bother to pick up his weapon. That was probably his biggest mistake.

"Stand aside", said the Chitauri Leader. "Or you shall die with him."

"You will not take me _or_ him", I said through clenched teeth.

"What makes you think you can defeat me?" He laughed, evilly. That was it. I raised an eyebrow and penetrated my sword through his guts with my left hand. I kept my eyes fixed on his pained expression as I heard him gasping. I twisted the sword, along with my hand, inside his guts as I felt the warm blood spill out of him. Then I spoke to him in a quiet voice filled with calm fury.

"Because_ I _will destroy _you_."

I gave one last war yell and cut his head off with my other sword. Dark green blood sprayed on my face and on my battle outfit. It stung my eyes a bit, but I didn't pay too much attention. Instead, I pulled my sword and left hand out of him and watched him fell to the ground. I walked over to the side of the Chitauri Leader's corpse and saw it twitching. I stamped my left foot into his guts where I stabbed him before. And he moved no more.

I stood there for awhile, breathing heavily. I looked around me and saw all of the Chitauri were dead, but there were dozens of Kree soldiers lying on the ground, either bleeding or dying. My face relaxed a bit and I finally snapped out of my rage-filled trance as reality sank back in. The Kree had won, but at a terrible price. It was just as bad as I imagined. Then, I heard a voice call out my name.

"Crystal!" I gasped. It was Gamora. I turned around and looked at her. The Earth man was helping her to her feet. They stood a few feet away from me. She held out her hand and said, "Come with us."

I didn't know what to do. I took a step forward, but then I stopped. I heard a low moan and looked behind me. It was Ronan! He was lying there, probably bleeding to death. I quickly became worried. If I left now, Ronan would die. His soldiers would die. I didn't want to believe it. But without a leader to help them, I knew what I had to do. I looked back at Gamora, her hand still held out. I shook my head and turned away from her. I would not see her or the Guardians again for awhile.

I dropped my swords and ran over to the Accuser. I dropped down on my knees, trying desperately to see if he was alive.

"Ronan! Ronan!" I tried shaking him, but he did not respond. I placed my hand on his throat, looking for a pulse. I couldn't find one. I was trying to stay calm. I placed my other hand on his wrist. I felt a pulse! He was alive! But for how long? I heard somebody approach me. I looked up and saw two Kree soldiers who were unharmed from the battle. I said to them, "Get the wounded to the healers."


	9. Chapter 9

I stood outside the room, pacing back and forth as I awaited the news of the Accuser's condition. After almost an hour, I saw four healers walk out of the room. I approached them.

"Is he...?" I was scared to say it.

"He has been mortally wounded, my lady", said one of them. His voice sounded grave. "We do not know if he will survive."

"But he is alive?" I asked him.

"For now", he said.

I nodded my head. "Thank you", I said.

I dismissed them and stood there for a minute, trying to acknowledge what was just said to me. Ronan was gravely injured and probably wouldn't survive the night. I couldn't bare to loose him. I walked into the room and saw the Accuser lying in bed. Just lying there, motionless. His armor and black make-up had been removed. I slowly approached him and took off my black gloves. I lightly ran my hand down his face to let him know I was there with him. I looked down and saw where Ronan had been stabbed. I was no healer, let alone a doctor, but judging by the blood on the bandages, the wound was probably very deep. I felt my lips tremble as I dropped to my knees next to him. I layed my head down on the bed and started crying softly. I looked up at the Accuser and took hold of his hand. "Please, don't do this...Don't leave me."

I stayed by Ronan's bedside all through the night. When morning came, I was told by one of the healers to go and rest, for he would watch over the Accuser. I went back to my room and leaned myself against the door. I felt tired, but I didn't feel like sleeping. I was still concerned about Ronan. I put my hand on my face, which felt dry and rough on the surface. I pulled my hand back and saw it covered in dark green flakes. I forgot that I was still covered in Chitauri blood. I washed the blood off my face, took off my battle outfit, and changed back into the pale blue, transparent dress.

I lied down on my bed, but I didn't fall asleep just yet. I couldn't stop thinking about Ronan. _Even the mightiest warrior could be slain in battle_, I thought to myself. I sighed and fell into a light slumber. I had a dream that I was back on the battlefield with Ronan. We had won, but when I faced him and tried to take hold of his hand, his body turned into black dust and vanished before me. I heard an evil laugh behind me. I turned around and saw Gamora was smiling at me, menacingly. She turned into Nebula. She struck me with her dagger and everything turned white.

I awoke with a start, breathing heavily. I sat up and looked around my room. It was just a bad dream. I held my hand to my heart and felt it beating fast inside my chest. I got out of bed and looked outside my balcony. I wasn't sure what time of day it was, but it must have been late in the day.

Suddenly, I heard a knock at my door. I ran over and opened it. It was one of the healers.

He said to me, "My lady, he is awakening."

I hurried to the healing room and looked inside. Ronan was awake! The Accuser dismissed the other three healers out of the room and I shut the door behind me. I walked over to him. He held out his right hand. I took hold of it and sat down on the bed.

"Crystal", I heard Ronan whisper. I was trying hard not to cry. I was glad he was alright, but I felt like this was all my fault. He wouldn't have gotten hurt if I hadn't gone out there into battle.

"I'm so sorry", I said in a low voice.

"You have nothing to apologize for", said Ronan.

"But if I hadn't..." My voice caught in my throat and my eyes started to burn from the tears. I turned my head away from him. Not because of fear, but because I didn't want him to see me cry. I had to be strong. I couldn't let him see that I was weak. But then, all of a sudden, I felt Ronan touch my face with the back of his hand.

"Look at me", I heard him say. I turned my head back to him and he wiped away the tears from my face. His beautiful purple eyes met my brown ones and we stared at each other. Then, I slowly leaned in, closed my eyes, and kissed him for a good long minute. Unlike the first time I kissed him, his lips were warm and soft this time. And I savored every moment of it. In return, Ronan caressed my hair. His hand slid from my hair to touch my arm, and he let out a soft moan. I broke away from the kiss and saw his eyes were closed.

"Ronan?" I said, softly. But he did not answer. He wasn't dead, but asleep. He was breathing lightly and his face looked peaceful. I touched my forehead to his. Then I layed my head down on his bare chest and listened to his heartbeat for awhile.


	10. Chapter 10

Two weeks later, Ronan had recovered his full strength. During his recovery, I barely left his side. He insisted I help in aiding the other soldiers who were injured in the Chitauri/Kree War. So I spared every chance I got while he slept. I walked into a ward full of injured soldiers and did what I could to help. Most of the time, I just kept them company and gave them comfort while they were tended to their wounds by the healers.

"Bless you, my lady", they said to me. They acted as if I was some kind of hero or something, but I felt like I hadn't really done anything.

Time passed, and everywhere I went, people kept looking at me. As soon as I walked by, they started whispering. One time, I walked by three Kree soldiers and saw them stare at me. I turned a corner, held my back to the wall, and decided to eavesdrop on them. They must have been talking about me, because I heard them say:

"That was her. The Earth girl", said one Kree soldier.

"What about her?" said another.

"She's the one who saved the life of Ronan the Accuser", said a third.

I couldn't believe it. They were actually talking about me behind my back. Maybe they were talking nice things about me, I don't know. But I walked away and paid no attention to it. It didn't matter. If they didn't like me, I didn't care.

I walked out into the garden and found the red flower was still there. And this time, it had another friend next to it. There were two of them this time. I leaned in and smelled them both. They were both just as sweet as the other, and look even more beautiful together.

It was already nighttime, but I didn't feel tired. I walked over to the balcony and looked over the city of Hala. Everything looked so much different to me. I looked to the stars and gazed into the galaxy. I saw thinking about how far away I must have been from home. Then I thought about something. It had been almost a month since my abduction from Earth.

"You miss your family, don't you?" I heard a deep voice say. I wasn't frightened when I heard it this time. I looked over my shoulder and saw Ronan was standing behind me. He was in his black armor and had black make-up on his face once again. He was the same old Accuser I had met a long time ago. Though his behavior around me had changed a lot since I first met him. I remembered back when I first saw him, I thought he was a monster. But now, I wasn't so sure.

Ronan walked over to the balcony right next to me.

"What did you say?" I asked him.

"Do you miss your family?" He said to me.

"Well...Yes and no...I'd rather not talk about it." I didn't want to give away all the details.

"Of course", said Ronan. His voice sounded soft. He placed a hand over mine and I looked up at him with curious eyes.

"Are you happy here with me, Crystal?" He asked me.

I blinked, not sure where he was going with this. "Of course, I am."

"Don't lie to me-"

"I'm not!" I said in a raised voice. Ronan took his hand off of mine and backed away just a bit. That was a first. I looked away from him, feeling guilty for what I just did. "I'm sorry."

"I wouldn't want you to be in a world filled with nothing but despair and grief", said Ronan. I didn't look back at him. Ronan turned his attention over to Hala. There was a silence between us. Ronan was the first to speak.

"I've been thinking", he said to me. "If you wish to return to your home planet, I could send you back."

I looked up at him. "You mean, you would return me to Earth?"

He didn't respond. He kept his gaze overlooking the city.

"Would you give me some time to think it over?" I asked him, hoping he would answer me.

"If you'd like", he finally said. Then he turned around and started to walk away from me. I didn't know what was wrong now. Was it something I had done or said?

"Whatever you decide, I will understand." Ronan said over his shoulder. I couldn't tell, but his voice sounded hurt. I watched him disappear inside and I looked back at the city. Then I looked to the stars, searching for an answer. Did I want to return to Earth? I knew my family would be heartbroken if anything had happen to me, but I was doing fine where I was. Come to think of it, I had spent so long in the galaxy, that Earth was becoming but a distant memory. I only barely remembered my family. Then I thought of my friends. I never had that many to begin with, but I still cared about them. They'd probably worry, too, if they hadn't heard from me in a long time. As I gazed into an endless sea of diamonds amongst the inky black canvas of the night, I noticed the stars seemed to shine even brighter than the ones I saw back on Earth. Then I thought about the Accuser. I had been through so much with him already, and I felt like things were just starting to get good bewteen us. Now that I had known him for quite some time, I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave Hala.

A lifetime with Ronan? Or a full life back on Earth?


	11. Chapter 11 (Ending)

I went back to my room and locked the door. I sat down on my bed and thought long and hard about my decision. I didn't sleep that night. Instead, I thought about my family. I thought about my mother and my father. I knew they loved each other and that they loved me, but sometimes, if not most of the time, they were always unhappy with each other. It was never me, it was always them. I didn't recall having any memories about them being happy together. I thought about my younger sister and younger brother. They were always the best of friends, but I never had a close relationship with them. My sister was always different then me and I never got along with my brother. I practically disowned him. They were always the trouble makers. I was always the good girl. I always cared about my family and would do anything to make them happy. But I wasn't a little girl anymore. I was now a young woman. A full grown woman! A woman who had the right to make her own choices now! I stood up. That was it! My decision was final!

I unlocked the door and walked out of my room. I went looking for the Accuser, when suddenly, I was approched by one of Ronan's men. I didn't recognize this one. He had black skin and electric blue eyes. I walked over to him.

"You there, I seek an audience with Ronan the Accuser. Where is he?" I demanded.

"Ronan has sent me to retrieve you", he said.

I followed the man, but I felt a little nervous. I knew what my decision was, but I didn't know how the Accuser would react. Finally, we walked into the throne chamber. There, I saw Ronan sitting on his throne. His head hung low. And his warhammer was in his hands, laying across his lap. He looked a little depressed to me.

The man and I walked up to him.

"Leave us, Korath", said Ronan. The man left and I stood there in silence.

"Have you made your decision?" Ronan asked me in a low voice.

I sighed. "I have."

Ronan didn't look up at me. I was hoping he would. I got closer to him, kneeled down, and held both my hands around one of his.

"Ronan...I have decided to stay", I whispered to him. Ronan held his head up and looked at me. His purple eyes met my brown ones.

"That is...if you'll have me", I said, nervously.

Then, Ronan stood up. I backed up, not sure what he was about to do. He set his warhammer down and looked at me.

"Why?" He asked me. "Why would you want to stay here?"

I swallowed a bit and my mouth became dry. I wasn't sure how to say it. "Because I...Because..." I was afraid if I said the words that he would react the wrong way. But then, the most unexpected thing happened. Ronan caressed my hair and held his fingers under my chin. He raised it and brought his lips to meet mine. I closed my eyes and placed my hands on his armored chest. I moaned as I felt his tongue slide into my mouth. I could feel a pale pink blush appear on my cheeks. Ronan broke away from the kiss and whispered, "Because you love me."

I slowly opened my eyes and stared into his purple ones. They looked like they were sparkling.

"Yes", I said, breathlessly.

"Then you will have me?" Ronan asked.

I was lost in his eyes. "I have only one condition", I said.

"And what is that?", he asked.

"...I don't want to have any children...At least, not anytime soon", I said to him.

Ronan gave me a warm smile. "So be it", he said.

"Then you'll have me?" I asked him.

"I will."

I never thought, in my whole life, that I would ever get married to anyone, especially not to an alien. That was the last thing I was expecting! A month ago, I thought the Accuser was a monster. But now, I didn't see him as one anymore. I saw him as more of a beast who just wanted a loving companion. A beauty. And _I_ was his beauty. It seems we found what we were both looking for. My wedding to the Accuser took place a week after I decided to stay with him. I asked for a simple wedding, but instead, we were to be married in front of the entire Kree Empire. I asked that the Guardians of the Galaxy be invited, even though Ronan wasn't on the best of terms with them, but I reminded him that they did help save the lives of his people, or _our_ people, as it was about to be.

On my wedding day, I wore a long golden dress with long sleeves. The dress exposed my shoulders. I didn't want to mess with my hair too much, so I just pulled it back into a ponytail. The day before the ceramony, Ronan had presented me with a silver necklace with a silver pendant as a wedding gift. I decided to wear it for our wedding.

I was in my room, putting the chain around my neck, when I hear a knock at the door. I turned my head.

"Hello?" I asked.

"My lady", said a woman's voice. "Your friends are waiting for you."

"Oh? I'll be right out", I said to her. I made sure my hair was in place before I headed out.

I walked out of my room and sure enough, the Guradians had arrived. All five of them. I approached them and looked down. I saw the raccoon and kneeled down to him.

"I never thought in a hundred years I'd be saved by a talking raccoon", I said to him.

"Eh, don't mention it, sister. And who you calling 'raccoon'?" He said in that sarcastic voice of his. I wanted to say something back to him, but I thought it best not to. Instead, I just smiled and shook my head. I patted his head and said to him, "You just watch yourself, you hear me?" He groaned in annoyence.

I stood up and was approached by the big muscle man with dair skin and red tattoo patterns.

He said to me, "You tell Ronan I have not forgotten what he did to my family. And that I would kill him if I had the chance. But Gamora says you are her friend. And therefore, you are a friend of mine."

I was silent for a second. Did he just make a threat against my soon-to-be husband?

"Thank you. I'll remember that", I said to him. Then I turned my attention to the Earth man.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He said to me.

"I'm sure", I answered. Then I asked him, "What's your name, by the way?"

"Peter Quill", he said. "There's another name you might know me by - Star Lord."

I smiled and laughed a bit. Then I said to him, "I appreciate what you and your friends have done, Peter. Thank you."

"Well, good luck to you", said Peter. He patted his right hand on my left shoulder and I patted my right hand on left shoulder.

I approached the tall tree creature. He held out his hand and a daisy sprang out of his hand. I gasped in amazement. He pluck it from his hand and placed it behind my ear.

Then he said, in a deep, smooth voice, "I...am...Groot." I smiled at him.

Finally, I looked to Gamora. She looked prettier than ever.

"Hello, my friend", I said to her in a soft voice. Gamora smiled.

"You look beautiful, Crystal", said Gamora. I blushed a bit.

Then I threw my arms around her and gave her a hug. She patted my back. We broke away and Gamora looked over my shoulder. I turned around. And there he was. Ronan the Accuser.

He wore a silver and emerald green suit of armor and a blue hooded cape. The black make-up was not on his face. This was suppose to be a happy day for us, there was no need for warpaint.

I looked back at the Guardisn and said, "Would you guys excuse us for a minute?"

The Guradians walked outside and I was left alone with the Accuser.

I walked up to him and bowed. He placed a hand under my chin and lifted it up, gently.

"My love", he said. "Do not think yourself lesser than me."

I rose up and looked him in the eyes. He smiled at me and I smiled back. He took hold of my hand and we faced the door together.

"Are you afraid?" Ronan asked me.

I turned my head to him and said, "A little."

Ronan looked at me. "Don't be afraid."

I suddenly frowned at him. "You remember our agreement, don't you?"

"Of course." Ronan reassured me.

I smiled at him and looked forward. I breathed a sigh of relief. It might have been our wedding, but I wasn't ready for a baby just yet.

"It is time", said Ronan.

We walked out to the front of the platform, hand-in-hand, to the sound of cheering from thousands of Kree citizens. I was smiling, but on the inside, I still felt a little nervous.

Ronan and I faced each other. The Gaurdians of the Galaxy stood close by. The ceramony was a quick one. I stared at the Accuser the whole time. We said our vows, and when the Kree preacher announced us as wife and husband, I threw my arms around Ronan's neck and kissed him. It was gentle and romantic. I felt his smile melt into mine. There was another roaring of cheers. We turned and faced the crowd. I saw the Guradians clapping and cheering. The raccoon looked teary eyed. I saw Gamora smile at me and I waved to her and blew her a kiss. A single tear rolled down my face.

Then Ronan let go of my hand and said out loud to his people, "People of Hala, I present to you my bride - Crystal, Princess of the Kree!"

The crowd cheered again. I smiled at Ronan and threw my arms around him again. A new life awaited me here in Hala. But this story wasn't over yet. It was only beginning


End file.
